Tag: POC Main Character

Saturday, June 27, 2020

Celebrate Pride: Books with LGBTQ+ Characters

The background image of this graphic is creased brown paper. In the top right-hand corner there is a stamp with the Pride flag. In the center, text reads "Celebrate Pride: Books with LGBTQ plus Characters." There are book covers pasted on the graphic, which are listed in the blog post.
Book covers are organized in order of the list below from left to right.

Happy Pride month! Although we should read books celebrating pride all year, I wanted to make a list of books that feature LGBTQ+ characters before June ends! One book on this list, All Boys Aren’t Blue, is a nonfiction book written by a Black queer author. These books represent various experiences on the Pride spectrum and immerse readers into contemporary, fantasy, and drawn worlds. I personally recommend Little & Lion, a story about a bisexual Black and Jewish girl navigating the changing relationship with her brother amidst conversations of mental illness. Clap When You Land also features family relationships as two girls discover they are sisters when their father dies in a plane crash and it is revealed he had two families. Another book on this list I enjoyed is Bingo Love, a comic spanning generations about two women who fell in love as teens and then reconnect as older adults.

I am working on individual reviews of a couple of these books, and I invite you to do the same! Shoot me an email if you’d like to write a review on Uni Reads for any of these books. Have a favorite book not on this list? We’d love to post it.

If you’d like more book lists and content, check out YA Pride, a blog advocating for inclusive and affirming content in YA Lit.

I made note of where you can find online copies through OverDrive and Hoopla via the Champaign Public Library and Urbana Free Library. If you need help finding books at your local library or with anything else, don’t hesitate to ask!

Please note: Books that are available as physical copies through the Uni High Library are noted with a call number in case you reference this list once we are able to return to campus. Some of these books are on order and we will update the call number ASAP.

  • Felix Ever After by Kacen Callendar (Audiobook & eBook on Overdrive)
  • Running with Lions by Julian Winters (eBook on Hoopla)
    • Call # Fiction W736ru
  • Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert (Audiobook & eBook on Overdrive)
    • Call # Fiction C671li
  • Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo (Audiobook & eBook on Overdrive)
  • Check, Please! Book 1, #Hockey! by Ngozi Ukazu (eBook on Overdrive)
    • Call # GN Uk1ch
    • You can also find this as a webcomic here.
  • All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson (Audiobook on Hoopla & Overdrive) (eBook on Overdrive)
  • The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow (Audiobook on Hoopla) (eBook on Overdrive)
  • You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson (Audiobook on Hoopla)
  • Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann (eBook on Overdrive)
    • Call # Fiction K1331le
  • Bingo Love by Tee Franklin (eBook on Hoopla)
    • Call # GN F8548b
  • Pet by Akwaeke Emezi (Audiobook & eBook on Overdrive)
    • Call # Fiction Em369pe
Friday, June 5, 2020

Uplifting Black Stories: Fiction Books by Black Authors

This is an illustration by Casey Moses of a few YA fiction books by Black authors.
This is an illustration by Casey Moses (@_thebookcase on Instagram). The order of the books listed below is determined by the illustration, top to bottom, left to right.

Nic Stone (author of Dear Martin, Odd One Out, and Jackpot) urged readers in an Instagram post to read beyond books about racism and “also read books about explicitly black people– especially black kids– just being human. Doing things humans are allowed to do in our imaginations: falling in love, dealing with illness, navigating time travel, questioning other aspects of their identities, saving their country, fighting with their parents.”

In response, Casey Moses (@_thebookcase on Instagram) illustrated a stack of YA fiction books written by Black authors across various genres, including contemporary, romance, fantasy, and LGBTQ stories. These books showcase everyday life, the fantastical, and the brilliant imagination of Black people. I’ve listed below the titles illustrated in the graphic.

I made note of where you can find online copies through OverDrive and Hoopla via the Champaign Public Library and Urbana Free Library. If you need help finding books at your local library or with anything else, don’t hesitate to ask!

Please note: Books that are available as physical copies through the Uni High Library are noted with a call number in case you reference this list once we are able to return to campus.

  • Dear Martin by Nic Stone (Audiobook and eBook on Overdrive)
    • Call # Fiction St722de
  • The Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds (Audiobook on Hoopla and Overdrive) (eBook on Overdrive)
    • Call # Fiction R3355op
  • With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo (Audiobook and eBook on Hoopla and OverDrive)
    • Call # Fiction Ac37wi
  • Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett (Audiobook and eBook on Overdrive)
    • Call # Fiction G1922fu
  • Let Me Hear a Rhyme by Tiffany D. Jackson with lyrics by Malik “Malik-16” Sharif (Audiobook and eBook on Hoopla and OverDrive)

Post by Cynthia

Saturday, May 2, 2020

Ramadan Reads: Books By and About Muslim People

This image is a collage of book covers for the books listed as recommendations for Ramadan Reads.
Book covers are organized in order of the list below, from top to bottom, left to right.

While staying safe at home, you might be looking for books to read, so the library wanted to put together a list of online resources to access books and recommend a few titles. This time around, I wanted to share books by and about Muslim people in honor of Ramadan, which began April 23 and will end May 23.

There is a limited selection of popular titles in audiobook and eBook format through the University, so I’ve had to focus on titles that can be accessed through public libraries. Many public libraries use OverDrive and Hoopla for their online collections. Once checked out, you can read/ listen to the books on a desktop computer, laptop, tablet or e-reader, or even on your phone using the appropriate app! I searched the Champaign Public Library and Urbana Free Library catalogs to round up these titles and I have indicated in paranthesis which format is available and on which app.

Please note: You need a public library card to check out books. 

If you do not have a public library card and/or your local library is not in Champaign or Urbana, please do not hesistate to contact us for help with:

  • Getting an electronic public library card.
  • Navigating the online collections at your library.

Whatever the case is, ask for help and you shall recieve it!

Now without further ado, here is my list of recommended reads.

Please note: Books that are available as physical copies through the Uni High Library are noted with a call number in case you reference this list once we are able to return to campus.

Fiction

  • Down and Across by Arvin Ahmadi – (Audiobook on OverDrive)
    • Call # Fiction Ah519do
  • Girl Gone Viral by Arvin Ahmadi – (eBook on OverDrive)
  • Internment by Samira Ahmed – (Audiobook and Ebook on OverDrive)
    • Call # Fiction Ah52in
  • All American Muslim Girl by Nadine Jolie Courtney (Audiobook on Hoopla & OverDrive) (eBook on OverDrive)
    • Call # Fiction C8359al
  • Exit West by Mohsin Hamid – (Audiobook & Ebook on OverDrive)
    • Call #Fiction H1801ex
  • The Love And Lies Of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan— (Audiobook on Hoopla) (eBook on OverDrive)
  • A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi – (Audiobook on Hoopla & OverDrive) (eBook on OverDrive)
    • Call # Fiction M269ve
  • I Hope You Get This Message by Farah Naz Rishi – (Audiobook on Hoopla) (Ebook on Hoopla & OverDrive)
    • Call # Fiction R493i
  • Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed— (Ebook on OverDrive)
    • Call # Fiction Sa163w
  • Tell Me How You Really Feel by Aminah Mae Safi – (eBook on OverDrive)
    • Call # Fiction Sa178te
  • An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir (Audiobook and eBook on OverDrive)
    • Call # Fiction T13e
  • Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga – (eBook on Hoopla)

Nonfiction

  • We Too Sing America: South Asian, Arab, Muslim, and Sikh Immigrants Shape Our Multiracial Future by Deepa Iyer – (ebook on Hoopla and OverDrive)
    • Call # 305.8009730905 Iy1w
  • We Are Displaced: My Journey and Stories from Refugee Girls Around the World by Malala Yousafzai— (eBook on OverDrive)

Graphic Novels

  • That Can Be Arranged: A Muslim Love Story by Huda Fahmy (Ebook on OverDrive)
  • Muslim Girls Rise: Inspirational Champions Of Our Time by Saira Mir (Audiobook and Movie on Hoopla)
    • Please note: This is a picture book, but I watched the movie version on Hoopla and it was oddly soothing and very informational! ?
  • Ms. Marvel, Vol.1 by G. Willow Wilson – (eComic on Hoopla and OverDrive)
    • Call #GN W6933m1

Post by Cynthia

Monday, March 2, 2020

Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett

“Simone Garcia-Hampton is starting over at a new school, and this time things will be different. She’s making real friends, making a name for herself as student director of Rent, and making a play for Miles, the guy who makes her melt every time he walks into a room. The last thing she wants is for word to get out that she’s HIV-positive, because last time . . . well, last time things got ugly.

Keeping her viral load under control is easy, but keeping her diagnosis under wraps is not so simple. As Simone and Miles start going out for real–shy kisses escalating into much more–she feels an uneasiness that goes beyond butterflies. She knows she has to tell him that she’s positive, especially if sex is a possibility, but she’s terrified of how he’ll react! And then she finds an anonymous note in her locker: I know you have HIV. You have until Thanksgiving to stop hanging out with Miles. Or everyone else will know too.

Simone’s first instinct is to protect her secret at all costs, but as she gains a deeper understanding of the prejudice and fear in her community, she begins to wonder if the only way to rise above is to face the haters head-on.” – Goodreads

Garrett captures the insecurity, turmoil, sweetness, and excitement of first love and building close friendships in a respectful, honest, and deeply caring way. This book is unique in its subject matter, and I found it informational without being preachy or heavy-handed. Alternatively, it broke down stigmas, which I believe will lead to more stories about teens who are HIV-positive just living life. Simone and her friends, Claudia and Lydia, read in an authentic, age-appropriate, and relatable voice, not shying away from any topics. There were unabashed conversations about sex, and the characters encompassed a diverse array of sexual identities and experiences that felt open-ended and explorative rather than neatly defined and cemented.

One issue I came across was that we never meet Claudia and Lydia’s partners despite them coming up in conversation frequently. They seemed like icebreakers to bring up the topics the girls wanted to discuss about their relationship struggles instead of fleshed out characters affecting the plot. Since Claudia is asexual and frankly discusses the pressure she feels from her girlfriend to do sexual things, I think teens would benefit from dialogue and interaction to process a very real issue ace folks experience. As it stands, there’s room to make one’s own judgements about the couple’s relationship and Claudia’s experience. Readers curious about sex and invested in relationship-driven stories will enjoy Full Disclosure. Fans of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda and Little & Lion will be swept into the drama and consequences of secrets spilled.

Call # Fiction G1922fu

Review by Cynthia

 

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki, Rosemary Valero-O’Connell (Illustrator)

Freddie Riley is in love with Laura Dean, the most popular, dreamiest, and charismatic girl in school, but there’s a few problems: Laura isn’t all that nice to her. Full of desperation after Laura breaks her heart again, Freddie begins writing to advice columnist, Anna Vice, framing the story through these emails. Despite the sound advice from her best friend, Doodle, and local mystic, Seek-Her, Freddie can’t seem to give up on her toxic relationship, even at the cost of her closest friendship. Throughout the book, Freddie isolates herself and becomes a bad friend.  She must realize the person she’s dating brings out the worst in her. This heartfelt graphic novel follows Freddie’s journey of re-learning how to show up for her friends (and herself).

The muted pinks bursting across the black and white sketches are raw, making readers empathize with intense emotions. Much like Mariko Tamaki’s previous works (This One Summer and Skim), this snapshot delves into an experience that alters a girl’s self-perception and opens opportunity for growth. There isn’t a dramatic crescendo for plot, but rather continuous moments of deep introspection. You keep wondering “will she, won’t she?” as it offers convincing portrayals of a queer teen girl making choices and finding herself. Tamaki and O-Connell succeed in representing racially diverse LBGTQ characters in a way that feels natural and layered. While this novel promotes universal experiences of first love, heartbreak, and friendship, the queer characters bring a refreshing perspective and send a powerful message, especially regarding Laura and Freddie’s unhealthy relationship. It gifts LGBTQ readers with open conversations about their experiences in a genuine and touching way. Audiences who enjoy highly emotional and realistic stories will appreciate this sad, but soft (oh so soft) book.

Side note: The plushies that sent little messages were so cute.

Call #GN T15la

Review by Cynthia

Friday, May 10, 2019

March: Book 1 by by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin (Co-writer), Nate Powell (Artist)

“Congressman John Lewis (GA-5) is an American icon, one of the key figures of the civil rights movement. His commitment to justice and nonviolence has taken him from an Alabama sharecropper’s farm to the halls of Congress, from a segregated schoolroom to the 1963 March on Washington, and from receiving beatings from state troopers to receiving the Medal of Freedom from the first African-American president.

March is a vivid first-hand account of John Lewis’ lifelong struggle for civil and human rights, meditating in the modern age on the distance traveled since the days of Jim Crow and segregation. Rooted in Lewis’ personal story, it also reflects on the highs and lows of the broader civil rights movement.

Book One spans John Lewis’ youth in rural Alabama, his life-changing meeting with Martin Luther King, Jr., the birth of the Nashville Student Movement, and their battle to tear down segregation through nonviolent lunch counter sit-ins, building to a stunning climax on the steps of City Hall.
Many years ago, John Lewis and other student activists drew inspiration from the 1950s comic book ‘Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story.’ Now, his own comics bring those days to life for a new audience, testifying to a movement whose echoes will be heard for generations.” – Goodreads

This is a must-read graphic novel series. The illustrations are a perfect blend of realism and dreamy artwork. Powell took on the task of depicting Civil Rights giants with such care, consideration, and thoughtfulness. The story is framed by Lewis’s experience at Obama’s first inauguration, an interesting device that reminds the reader who far we’ve come – and yet how far there is still to go.

Call #GN L58m

Review by Vicki

Tuesday, March 12, 2019

Ghost by Jason Reynolds

“Running. That’s all that Ghost (real name Castle Cranshaw) has ever known. But never for a track team. Nope, his game has always been ball. But when Ghost impulsively challenges an elite sprinter to a race — and wins — the Olympic medalist track coach sees he has something: crazy natural talent. Thing is, Ghost has something else: a lot of anger, and a past that he is trying to outrun. Can Ghost harness his raw talent for speed and meld with the team, or will his past finally catch up to him?” – Goodreads

Ghost is a quick read that is perfectly paced, featuring dynamic, real-life conflict that feels fully developed but not over-wrought or childish. Ghost makes bad decisions, but he isn’t a bad kid, an important and complicated nuance. The focus on track and competition will have strong appeal for athletes who enjoy the thrill of winning, losing, and self-imposed expectations. Reynolds sets up this series so well with a good balance of internal and external conflict, teasing you with the interesting lives of these sequel novels that are all equally as compelling and addictive.

Last but not least, this amazing book has been showered with the following distinctions:

Odyssey Award Nominee (2017), Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children’s Book Award Nominee (2018), Great Lakes Great Books Award for 6-8 (2018), NAIBA Book of the Year for Middle Readers (2017), NCTE Charlotte Huck Award (2017), Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Book Award Nominee (2019)

Call # Fiction R333g

Review by Vicki

Thursday, February 28, 2019

Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson; illustrated by Adrian Alphona

“Kamala Khan is an ordinary girl from Jersey City — until she’s suddenly empowered with extraordinary gifts. But who truly is the new Ms. Marvel? Teenager? Muslim? Inhuman? Find out as she takes the Marvel Universe by storm! When Kamala discovers the dangers of her newfound powers, she unlocks a secret behind them, as well. Is Kamala ready to wield these immense new gifts? Or will the weight of the legacy before her be too much to bear? Kamala has no idea, either. But she’s comin’ for you, Jersey!” – Goodreads

This is so. much. fun. Kamala is a hilarious and relatable hero, and there are so many moments where her sense of humor or awkward social situation really stand out as exceptionally true to life, and this reader just kept thinking, “IT ME!” In this introduction to what is now a ten-volume series, Wilson does an incredible job introducing a compelling cast of supporting characters that includes Kamala’s Muslim, immigrant parents who are so fully realized and nuanced. The adventure and suspense is well done, and the artwork is stunning, which is no surprise given that it’s done by the veteran artist from the Runaways series. Addictive, funny, and full of heart, this is a series that is not to be missed!

Call # GN W6933m1

Review by Vicki

Friday, February 15, 2019

Pride by Ibi Zoboi

“Pride and Prejudice gets remixed in this smart, funny, gorgeous retelling of the classic, starring all characters of color, from Ibi Zoboi, National Book Award finalist and author of American Street.
Zuri Benitez has pride. Brooklyn pride, family pride, and pride in her Afro-Latino roots. But pride might not be enough to save her rapidly gentrifying neighborhood from becoming unrecognizable.
When the wealthy Darcy family moves in across the street, Zuri wants nothing to do with their two teenage sons, even as her older sister, Janae, starts to fall for the charming Ainsley. She especially can’t stand the judgmental and arrogant Darius. Yet as Zuri and Darius are forced to find common ground, their initial dislike shifts into an unexpected understanding.
But with four wild sisters pulling her in different directions, cute boy Warren vying for her attention, and college applications hovering on the horizon, Zuri fights to find her place in Bushwick’s changing landscape, or lose it all.” – Goodreads

Zoboi gives so much energy and contemporary insight into a story we’ve heard rehashed so many times. Zuri was an incredibly compelling and brilliant narrator whose authenticity and ability to call people on their nonsense makes her one of the best heroines I’ve read in ages. The modernization of this tale within the context of gentrification and complicated race/class factors made this a super robust and important book, while the romance was so dreamy and well done.

Call # Fiction Z71pr

Review by Vicki

Friday, February 8, 2019

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

When Starr Carter witnesses the fatal shooting of Khalil, her childhood best friend, her life is turned upside down. The shooting becomes a national headline, but Starr’s best friends at her private, mostly-white high school do not know of her involvement in the incident. Starr struggles to keep her school life in Williamson separate from her family life in Garden Heights, the poor and dangerous black neighborhood where Starr grew up and lives. People are holding demonstrations in support of Khalil and tensions arise in Starr’s life. Starr is hesitant to become further involved with the shooting so as not to put her life at risk, but her words and actions could change the views of the community.

The Hate U Give is quite a heart-wrenching and fast-paced book. It faces the reality of living as an African-American poverty in crime-ridden, low-income neighborhoods while providing an intriguing, humorous plot. Additionally, the setting was well-portrayed and helps move the storyline along, keeping the reader on edge. The book is told from Starr’s point of view and is highly authentic and effective. Furthermore, the characters are well developed and contribute to the plot successfully. Books like these are especially necessary to spreading awareness of today’s racial issues in America, so I highly recommend reading it.

Call # Fiction T3614ha

Student review by Cadi